Chestnuts Should Be More Than a Line in a Song

A blight wiped out the American chestnut, but it didn’t kill enthusiasm for the holiday relic

Imported chestnuts at a local Italian market in Pittsburgh. Photo: Francesca Dabecco

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire is a classic image associated with the holidays, yet for many, the tradition is no more than a line in the Nat King Cole song. And while they’re still a common street food in, say, Taiwan and…